Marketing

Conn’s, a specialty retailer of home appliances, furniture, mattresses, consumer electronics, announced the opening of its first two Conn’s HomePlus stores in Tennessee.

The HomePlus store format showcases furniture and mattresses in addition to the leading brands and the latest technologies in consumer electronics and home appliances. The stores are at Cross Creek, in Memphis, and at Town & Country Commons, in Knoxville.

Ahold CEO Dick Boer cited competitive pressures in New England as a contributing factor in the company’s flat U.S. sales in the first quarter, but it’s not stopping the company from targeting online expansion.  

Ahold's U.S. operations posted first-quarter net sales of $8 billion, down 0.3%. Excluding fuel sales, overall sales were flat relative to the same period last year. Identical sales growth excluding gas was 0.1%, which included the positive impact this year of the post-Easter week falling into the second quarter.

Philadelphia – The board of directors of Urban Outfitters Inc. has authorized the repurchase of 10 million common shares under a share repurchase program. Pursuant to this program, the company, at its discretion, may repurchase its common shares from time to time, subject to market conditions and at prevailing market prices.

Urban Outfitters has repurchased all of the shares available under its previous share repurchase programs, including the 10 million common shares authorized by the board of directors in August 2013.

San Jose, Calif. – Second quarter 2014 will be less of a hardship for retailers than the first quarter, which started off the spring season on a negative trend across the metrics of traffic, conversion rate and sales per store (SPS). Data from store analytics technology provider RetailNext indicates that compared to the second quarter of 2013, traffic at brick-and-mortar stores nationwide will be down 6%, SPS flat and sales down 4%.

Brown Shoe Company’s first quarter results exceeded expectations according to CEO, president and chair Diane Sullivan, and the company is raising its annual EPS guidance range as a result.

New York -- Make Meaning is expanding its East Coast presence with the opening of its sixth U.S. location, at Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 9. Make Meaning has five additional locations nationwide – two in New York City, as well as locations in Dedham, Massachusetts, Thousand Oaks, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company plans to roll out additional locations nationwide and abroad.

Customers can now shop on Amazon for collectible U.S. coins from industry leading dealers including Stack’s Bowers Galleries, Kagin’s, David Lawrence Rare Coins and Liberty Coin — all from the newly launched Collectible Coins store.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has formed a Digital Advisory Council as part of its efforts to accelerate its digital transformation. Target said the council will help guide the retailer’s omnichannel strategies and push it to innovate faster, and discover new ways to leverage technology to enhance the shopper experience – both online and in stores.